Who's your Quartus?

If you remember, & probably you don't, it's OK really, I posted quite awhile back on a brother in the Lord that Paul briefly mentioned in the 16th chapter of Romans as he was thanking God for those brothers & sisters in the Lord God had used in his life. He said a few things about each one, & when it came to Quartus, all he said was "Quartus, a brother." I said at the time I posted earlier, & I still believe, that Paul simply referred to this dear brother as an encourager to him. I'm reading between the lines, but it seems that Quartus may have been the type of believer & brother in Christ who was just there for you in all types of situations, both good & horrible. Do you have those in your life like this? If you do, thank God for them now. I have been blessed by quite a few, but those that really stand out are my beautiful & Godly bride, & my Dad who led me to Christ many years ago. A couple older & very Godly pastors also come to mind here. I'd love to hear anything on your mind regarding this as well. May the Lord bless you.

What A Position!

I was just thinking of the joy & glory of our position in Christ as believers. We have died to sin, not that we must die to sin, or that we will one day die to sin, but when you & I believed in Christ, & received Him, we were identified with Him, or as the Bible transliterates rather than translates, we were BAPTIZED into His death & resurrection! We have died, in the past with continuing effects, to sin & have risen, again in the past with continuing effects, to new life in Him! Now, that doesn't mean that we'll always live like it, but we can & should! It's like Paul said in Ephesians 5:8, we ARE light in the Lord, now let's walk as children of light! Wow, that's just the tip of the iceberg, but it's amazing just in itself. Let's bask in it & let it translate down into, as that great old Bible teacher, J. Vernon McGee would say, shoe leather! God Bless you all!

The Gospel really IS Great News!

I've meant to post many times but just didn't take the time, but I wanted to just say a few words about the Gospel. It is great news! We often clutter it up, & worse, we alter it, & distort it until it is unrecognizable, & we even turn it into a conglomeration of impossible demands or at best, vague ideas that really mean little or nothing in everyday life. What is the genuine great news of the Gospel? Christ died for our sins, was buried, & rose again, all according to the Scriptures! It wasn't something just made up, it was prophesied from of old!

It is so good, that God says, "Hands off!" We're not to tinker with it but tell it! If we are tempted to tinker, God says we're under a curse until we come to our senses! (See Gal.1:6-9). I don't believe Paul ever wrote when he was any hotter than when he had a few choice words for those who were hoodooing the young Galatian believers! Things haven't changed much today, but when someone who is literally dying for the truth of God's Word finally hears the undiluted Gospel of the Grace of God, they rejoice in its wonder-working power!

OK, I'm done for now, I just wanted to share that with you, because not long ago I shared it with a poor fellow who was literally about ready to call it quits because he knew he was a sinner & hungered & thirsted after salvation, yet all he'd heard was these convoluted man-altered versions of the real thing. He wanted true Biblical grace!! He only found it in the real Gospel in God's Word!! May the Lord bless all of you real good!